December 21, 2009
The recent groundswell of interest in the plight and power of the honey bee has influenced public policy in Gotham. After a public hearing in February, and a final vote in March, the New York City Department of Health and Hygiene may permit New Yorkers to keep “non-aggressive honey bees” within city limits. New Yorkers currently managing covert hives on rooftops or in community gardens will no longer face a hefty fine, and those with an interest in beekeeping – but not the fines – can finally dive into apiculture.
Andrew Coté, fourth-generation beekeeper and founder of the New York City Beekeepers Association, thinks it’s about time. Cities such as Paris, London, San Francisco, Seattle and Boston already permit urban beekeeping. Coté feels there’s no reason New York should be behind. “We are New York City, after all!” he boasts.
To succeed at urban beekeeping Coté offers three tips to New Yorkers interested in starting a hive.
Tip #1 - Don’t let your hive swarm. When a healthy hive of productive bees outgrows their available space, the old queen and thousands of workers leave for a new nook, leaving behind a smaller colony with plenty of elbow room. Called “swarming,” the departing bees look much like a writhing mass ready to plummet onto innocent passers-by. Even though a swarm is usually benign, the massive clump of bees hanging precariously over pedestrians’ heads doesn’t endear them to the public. As Coté puts it, “if a hive swarms in lower Manhattan, it becomes a newsworthy event.”
Tip #2 – Be innocuous. “Out of sight, out of mind,” Coté says, regarding where to locate a bee hive. Placing a hive discreetly not only keeps nervous neighbors from complaining, but also keeps mischief-makers from damaging equipment.
Tip #3 – Practice good beekeeping. The majority of bees that leave the hive focus on three things: pollen, nectar and water. Coté points out that if there’s no water available near the hive, then the bees might decide that the neighbor’s dripping air conditioner is a good water source. In addition to monitoring the health of a hive, a good urban beekeeper provides the bees a local source of water, and food when the nectar flow falls off.
Coté prefers that interested beekeepers first educate themselves before spending hundreds of dollars on a hive and equipment. Take classes, read books, go online and learn. Then get hands-on experience, or find a mentor. All the tips and instructions available still don’t fully prepare a new beekeeper for handling 10,000 bees in a mailbox-sized wire cage. Last year, the New York Beekeepers Association offered eight hands-on classes for interested beekeepers, but finding a mentor might prove to be difficult. “The Association has a mentorship program,” Coté notes, “but there are more people needing a mentor than mentors available.”
Added January 11, 2010: Honey bee swarm in Central Exeter
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